Spring break season has begun (GALLERY)

Published: Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 04:08 PM.

OKALOOSA ISLAND — Spring breakers have started to arrive in Northwest Florida, and thousands more are expected to show up in coming weeks.

Students from Indiana, Ohio, Mississippi, Texas, Minnesota, Michigan, Texas and, of course, Florida are in the area now. In the upcoming weeks, spring breakers from Florida State, Auburn, the University of Texas and dozens of other schools are expected to arrive.

“What I’ve heard from some of the lodging folks is that advanced reservations (for spring break) looked pretty promising,” said Dan O’Byrne, director of Okaloosa County’s Tourist Development Council. “Some of them were up double digits.

“We’re really looking forward to it and we’re just going to continue to build,” he added. “For the first four months of the year our revenues continue to be up about a little over 2 percent year over year. I’m hoping that we build on that and continue to build on this momentum this year, and that we hope to have a really good year. (Spring break) is one really important piece of it.”

O’Byrne said he hopes the recent chilly weather will not have a dramatic effect on whether or not students decide to spend spring break along the Emerald Coast.

Although locals might complain about the weather, Ball State University sophomore Erika Lindley said it was much warmer than Muncie, Ind., where she came from. Lindley and classmate Shelley Lehman were two of a few people on the beach at Beasley Park late Tuesday morning.

“This is the nicest day that it looked like (we would get),” Lindley said. “This is a lot warmer than Indiana. There’s a snow storm warning right now.

“I love it. I love Florida. I want to come back,” she added.

The return of spring breakers is a welcome sight for Sherri Hopkin at the Waffle House on Okaloosa Island. She said the spring break crowd is a big part of its business this time of year.

“It started early this year, so ours won’t kick in until next week,” Hopkin said. “They’re coming in and they’re coming early, but we won’t see (the large crowds) until a little down the road.

“I’m glad they come,” she added. “If we didn’t have them we wouldn’t have anything.”

Although spring breakers get a bad reputation sometimes, Georgia Murray, Hopkin’s co-worker at Waffle House, said they are good customers.

“They’re generous to us. They’re polite. They like chocolate chip waffles and chocolate milk,” Murray said. “But they’ve always been polite and good tippers; they don’t stiff us and they take care of us.

“The majority of them have been very pleasant: ‘yes ma’am and yes ma’am,’ ” she added. “I don’t have anything bad to say about them at all. I appreciate them.”

Ball State sophomore Krystal Palmer made her first trip to Destin for spring break this year with Ohio University sophomore Morgan Stanley, who visited with her family when she was younger. Palmer has been very impressed with what she has seen so far.

“I’ve been to Florida, but not to Destin,” Palmer said on the beach at Beasley Park. “I love it. It’s really pretty and it’s nicer because it’s not very touristy. It’s more real.”

The two sophomores plan to keep their vacation low key. They want some sushi, plan to shop and might go to a club.

“We’re just trying to relax, get away from school and stay away from Panama (City),” Stanley said.

Contact Daily News Business Editor Dusty Ricketts at 850-315-4448 or dricketts@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @DustyRnwfdn.

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OKALOOSA ISLAND — Spring breakers have started to arrive in Northwest Florida, and thousands more are expected to show up in coming weeks.

Students from Indiana, Ohio, Mississippi, Texas, Minnesota, Michigan, Texas and, of course, Florida are in the area now. In the upcoming weeks, spring breakers from Florida State, Auburn, the University of Texas and dozens of other schools are expected to arrive.

“What I’ve heard from some of the lodging folks is that advanced reservations (for spring break) looked pretty promising,” said Dan O’Byrne, director of Okaloosa County’s Tourist Development Council. “Some of them were up double digits.

“We’re really looking forward to it and we’re just going to continue to build,” he added. “For the first four months of the year our revenues continue to be up about a little over 2 percent year over year. I’m hoping that we build on that and continue to build on this momentum this year, and that we hope to have a really good year. (Spring break) is one really important piece of it.”

O’Byrne said he hopes the recent chilly weather will not have a dramatic effect on whether or not students decide to spend spring break along the Emerald Coast.

Although locals might complain about the weather, Ball State University sophomore Erika Lindley said it was much warmer than Muncie, Ind., where she came from. Lindley and classmate Shelley Lehman were two of a few people on the beach at Beasley Park late Tuesday morning.

“This is the nicest day that it looked like (we would get),” Lindley said. “This is a lot warmer than Indiana. There’s a snow storm warning right now.

“I love it. I love Florida. I want to come back,” she added.

The return of spring breakers is a welcome sight for Sherri Hopkin at the Waffle House on Okaloosa Island. She said the spring break crowd is a big part of its business this time of year.

“It started early this year, so ours won’t kick in until next week,” Hopkin said. “They’re coming in and they’re coming early, but we won’t see (the large crowds) until a little down the road.

“I’m glad they come,” she added. “If we didn’t have them we wouldn’t have anything.”

Although spring breakers get a bad reputation sometimes, Georgia Murray, Hopkin’s co-worker at Waffle House, said they are good customers.

“They’re generous to us. They’re polite. They like chocolate chip waffles and chocolate milk,” Murray said. “But they’ve always been polite and good tippers; they don’t stiff us and they take care of us.

“The majority of them have been very pleasant: ‘yes ma’am and yes ma’am,’ ” she added. “I don’t have anything bad to say about them at all. I appreciate them.”

Ball State sophomore Krystal Palmer made her first trip to Destin for spring break this year with Ohio University sophomore Morgan Stanley, who visited with her family when she was younger. Palmer has been very impressed with what she has seen so far.

“I’ve been to Florida, but not to Destin,” Palmer said on the beach at Beasley Park. “I love it. It’s really pretty and it’s nicer because it’s not very touristy. It’s more real.”

The two sophomores plan to keep their vacation low key. They want some sushi, plan to shop and might go to a club.

“We’re just trying to relax, get away from school and stay away from Panama (City),” Stanley said.

Contact Daily News Business Editor Dusty Ricketts at 850-315-4448 or dricketts@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @DustyRnwfdn.